1 star for service, another because I played checkers while I waited.
Nice cozy fireplace burning as you are seated to relax and enjoy your meal near. Nice selection of southern comfort fare. It was a good experience for whole family.
Purposely went in for the gift shop. I wanted an interesting birthday card and a selection of old time candy as a gift for my sister. They always have unique and beautiful items in the gift shop. That's why I gave 5 stars for this trip. (I've only ever eaten take out at this location in the past, and usually the service is slow and terrible because they forget you are waiting for your order- and food is not correct after you look through the bag. So 2 stars for take out!)
So, good food, good service, good value at $13 each. 4 out of 5 stars.
Even with my low expectations, Cracker Barrel was still able to create a meal worth less than the sum of its parts. After the better part of an hour, I was served a meal that looked like the plate had simply been reused after a toddler had previously used it. The food itself screamed "I don't care how I taste, I'm just here to make my $9/hr." The taste was mediocre, but that was to be expected at a Cracker Barrel.
The highlight of the meal, an appetizer of biscuits and apple butter, arrived in ~10 minutes. Earlier this week I accidentally left a slow cooker full of apple cider going all night and the apple butter called back a nostalgic memory to the sludge in the pot the next morning. The biscuits were, well, typical fast food fare.
40 minutes later, the meal finally arrives. I wanted to give the good people of Cracker Barrel the benefit of the doubt; maybe they had some new kitchen staff? Maybe it was slammed? Looking around at the half full restaurant, I decided on the first option. My meal was plated incredibly carelessly, smudges of ketchup on the rim of the plate, streaks of potatoes somehow lining the ramekin of the dumplings (at least they attempted to wipe it clean, despite making things look worse), all with the beautiful presentation of the dried, sauceless end of meatloaf. In their defense, another member of my party got the same thing, and his center cut loaf was significantly more visually appealing.
The dumplings tasted as expected, like canned chicken broth with weeks old tortellini, and with a significant amount of ketchup the meatloaf was palatable, albeit with its flavor reduced to a vaguely beefy congealed ketchup.
When I go to Cracker Barrel, I typically enter with low expectations. Overpriced knick knacks and pop country really set the tone for what you're about to experience: a place that is wholly different from the "authentic southern" establishment it's attempting to be.
The mashed potatoes, plated and served without any gravy, had a very unique outer shell, a rind akin to a nice cheese. Having worked in a kitchen, my best guess is that some new line cook plated the potatoes as *soon* as the ticket rang in, where they sat under the heat lamp for nearly an hour. This was the main problem with the food.
We had a great meal, great service, however the stuffing was burned, and we waited 50 minutes to be seated on Thanksgiving, (we knew there was a wait before going, so that was ok).
I can't fault the service staff for this, and to a lesser extent it isn't even the back of house's fault either that they're so seemingly incompetent, it's the management for allowing such mediocrity and not caring at all about the quality of food they serve. I've gotten more attention to detail at a Burger King than at Cracker Barrel. This extended to other facets of the patented Cracker Barrel Experience: eaten empty boxes of candy in the storefront, overflowing trash cans in the bathroom. I desperately hope this was simply a case of being severely understaffed but there appeared to be a more than adequate amount of workers both FOH and BOH.
With this expectation in mind, I ordered knowing that my meal wouldn't be great. I set the bar low and thought "I might as well have a few bucks," deciding on the daily special: meatloaf with a side of dumplings and mashed potatoes.
Tonight they apparently were short on severs, manager was doing a great job waiting on tables. I ordered a quick meal, already prepared. My companion ordered breakfast. I suspect my meal was plated immediately. Piping hot breakfast, cold mashed potatoes.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is a US Restaurant based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is located at 123 Regency Center Dr, Mooresville, NC 28117, USA.
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